Teaching Literature Isn't
as Hard as You Think!

Willliam J. Brown

Think teaching literature to your junior high or high schooler sounds impossible? Think again!

If you have the right perspective, literature isn't as difficult a subject as it might seem. It's all in the way you present it. Literature can be interesting and even (gasp!) fun if you do it right.

But before I get into some of the great tips and techniques, let me just say one thing...

Your children are never too young for you to start teachingliterature to them. A literature class for a kindergarten or lower elementary student may be as simple as introducing them to Dr. Seuss or reading fairy tales to them. And there's nothing wrong with handing your upper elementary child a "condensed" classic, an abbreviated form of a classic work. More about this a little later.

So let's check out some tips we've come up with for making teaching literature a little more interesting.

All three of these key concepts could be summed up this way...

Know your stuff!

What do you need to know? Try these...

1. Know the classics!

If you're already intimidated by the thought of teaching literature, this may not seem very helpful. But this is true. And there are ways to do your "homework" as a teacher without having to read the bulk of world literature!

One way is to read the stories with your child. You may want to read every other paragraph with them. But I wouldn't do this with them all the time. They need to read on their own. But if it's a story with archaic language or difficult concepts, you may want to do it this way.

A better way is to have your child read the story out loud to you, asking them in strategic places about the story. This way they learn better about the classic they're reading (and you learn too. They just don't realize it!)

If you like to read (and have the time) read the story the day before you present the lesson plan to your child. That way you've experienced the story yourself and know better how to present it.

With larger works (like whole books) you might not have the time to read the whole thing. So get a condensed version of the story. Many children's books have abbreviated versions of classic stories. And several publishers have created "notes" on stories that outline the basic plot of classic works.

But no matter how you do it, make sure you know what your children are studying in literature. This will make it more memorable to them and make teaching literature a simpler process.

2. Know the authors!

Sound impossible? It isn't! And this step is very important in teaching literature.

You can find great (and quick) information about authors on the internet. Just type in the author's name. You should have all you need in just a few seconds. And don't forget the old standby encyclopedias. They have quick reads on authors as well.

Why is this so important?

If you know the authors...how they lived, what they thought, what they believed...it's much simpler to relate their lives to your child. Instead of your son and daughter seeing some "dead guy" nestled between the pages of musty, old books, they find real people...who lived real lives and experienced real problems.

So find interesting facts about each author's life. Present these interesting tidbits before your teach your child the lesson. You don't have to throw the whole encyclopedia at them. Just find "soundbites" of interesting information to help your child remember who these people were. The more relevant you make the author's life in the eyes of your child the better they will understand.

You might even want to throw in information that has to do with the state or county you live in if the author had any connection to your area. I always found it interesting that Mark Twain (whose name was actually Samuel Clemens) edited a paper that my family subscribed to. Even after all that time, the paper was still up and running! And Mark Twain worked for it!

As a child, I thought that was cool. And you know where I learned that? It wasn't from a book. I learned it from my parents. And that information made me want to learn more about Mark Twain and other authors as well. As you see, it does work to know your stuff about the authors!

3. Know the reasons!

What do I mean by this?...

Teach your child why they need to know these things. If you don't know yourself, you won't be effective at teaching literature to your children!

Many of the classics have great lessons to teach. They teach morality, courage, honesty, integrity. Those are aspects of human life that aren't stressed in our world today.

But they were stressed in other times by other people. That's why the classics are so important. They teach us (through fiction and non-fiction) about life. And we need to learn the lessons the classics teach so we can teach them to our children. Who knows...

Your son or daughter may become an influential leader some day. How they react in those future situations will be a reflection of how well you taught them about life. What better way to do this than through classic stories?

Summing It Up

So you need to know your stuff! If you learn the classics, the authors and the reasons, you're already on your way to becoming great at teaching literature. If you haven't done these things, start them today! After all...

Your child deserves the best. So become the best. Follow these three key concepts for teaching literature and you'll become the teacher your child deserves.

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